A machine to machine (referred to as M2M) communication network can extend the communication category and communication field of an existing information communication network, acquire information from a physical world by embedding intelligent and communication capabilities in various possible things, and enhance and improve the intellectuality, interactivity and automaticity of the existing information communication network based on analyzing and processing the information.
The M2M communication network has a plurality of network forms, which can be an independent physical network which is separately constructed, and can also be a logical network constructed on the existing public communication network and various government and enterprise private networks.
The M2M communication network can be divided into three layers in the aspect of a logical function: a sensing extension layer, a network/service layer, and an application layer. The three layers are introduced below:
The sensing extension layer: it mainly achieves acquisition, automatic identification and intelligent control of information in the physical world. Various things in the physical world do not have communication capability itself. Intelligent nodes, such as a sensor, an actuator, an intelligent apparatus, and an RFID reader/writer, acquire the information in the physical world, and perform information interaction via a communication module with the network layer. Main components contained therein are an M2M terminal device and an M2M gateway device.
The network/service layer: the network/service layer supports transmission, routing, and controlling of the information of the sensing layer, and provides support the communication between human and thing, between thing and thing in the Internet of Things. Combined with classification of the Internet of Things, the network forms specifically contained on the network layer are: a communication network, an Internet and an industry network, etc. The main component contained therein is an M2M platform.
The application layer: the application layer contains various specific applications of the Internet of Things, including both a public service and an industry service which can be a public-oriented industry public service and can also be an industry dedicated service which meets specific application requirements inside an industry. The public service is a basic service provided by aiming at public universal requirements, such as intelligent home, mobile payment, etc. The industry dedicated service is generally a service provided by aiming at specific requirements peculiar to the industry, and for the inside of the industry, such as an intelligent grid, intelligent transportation and an intelligent environment, wherein some of the industry services can also be provided for the public, such as intelligent transportation, which are referred to as industry public services. Main component contained therein is an M2M application server.
A terminal peripheral: the terminal peripheral refers to a single device such as the sensor having an environment sensing function, which can transmit sensed information to an M2M service platform or an M2M application via an M2M gateway, and meanwhile can also receive downlink control thereon performed by the M2M application or the M2M service platform.
The M2M gateway: an M2M terminal peripheral, with features that the processing capability, storage capability and power supply thereof are restricted, cannot directly communicate with a communication network, and needs to access the communication network via the M2M gateway. The M2M gateway can perform a protocol conversion between an M2M sensing extension layer and an upper network. Besides of being able to converge and forward data information acquired by the M2M terminal peripheral, the M2M gateway can also receive control information of the M2M application or the M2M service platform so as to manage the terminal peripheral.
The M2M platform provides some common capabilities and support to the M2M application, and provides an open interface so that the application can access and use network resources and capabilities. By shielding a specific network implementation of the bottom layer from a specific M2M application, the complexity of the application development of the Internet of Things can be simplified and the cost of the application development and deployment of the Internet of Things can be reduced.
In an M2M communication network architecture, a gateway, as a functional entity connecting and managing a terminal device on the sensing extension layer, needs to be able to provide information, such as an execution state of the M2M application, an operational state of the gateway software and hardware, and an operational state of the terminal device, for the M2M platform or the M2M application server, so as to provide statistical data and failure warning for the M2M platform or the M2M application server. However, the prior art does not provide a monitoring manner that is able to meet above requirement in the M2M communication network architecture; in addition, it is also unable to divide monitoring tasks into different types according to a monitoring object and a reporting manner, and unable to perform operations, such as addition, deletion, or modification, on the monitoring task via the M2M service platform, the M2M application server or the gateway.
With regard to the problem in the related art of being unable to divide monitoring tasks into different types according to a monitoring object and a reporting manner, and being unable to perform operations, such as addition, deletion, or modification, on the monitoring task(s) via the M2M service platform, the M2M application server or the gateway, no effective solution has been presented.